


Reunion In The Starlight

by EtherealNova



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Animal Death, Blood, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Death, Fading Echos, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Give these cats a hug, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Longtail is sad, No You Can't Change My Mind, Not Beta Read, Omen of the Stars, Oneshot, Self-Doubt, Swiftpaw is Longtail's adopted little brother, Swiftpaw is sad, Warrior Cats, only at the beginning tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:48:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26435191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealNova/pseuds/EtherealNova
Summary: Longtail is surprised when the pain in his legs and the numbness in his eyes suddenly dissipates. Then he's more surprised when he finds his eyesight restored. Then he's even more surprised when he finds himself in an unfamiliar, sparkling forest.But what surprises him most is that the first cat he sees in moons in none other than his own deceased apprentice.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	Reunion In The Starlight

_ It all happened so fast. _

He heard a loud creaking sound first, then a panicked yelp second. Finally, it crashed down on him, crushing him under the wreckage. He tried to claw his way out to no avail. He could hear screeching, both from himself and from everyone around him. Through the smell of rain, he could scent the metallic tang of blood.

He tried desperately to cling onto something and pull himself out, but it was no use. His rear legs were pinned down, and the tree on top was far too heavy to lift. The more he tried, the dizzier he started to feel. The world felt as if it were spinning around him - thunder and screeches filled his ears, the smell of blood had flooded his nose, and all he could think about was how much his legs hurt and _ how numb his eyes felt and how he was so, so tired-  _

  
  


As suddenly as it had started, it all stopped. The rain, the screams, the blood, it had all vanished. Even his legs and eyes felt as if a great pressure had been released from them.

His eyes…

_ His eyes…? _

Longtail snapped his eyelids open in shock. He nearly stumbled backward in surprise as he noticed immediately that, for the first time in moons, he wasn’t greeted by darkness. 

He stood in a forest, not much unlike his old home, save for the fact that a swath of stars hung overhead and the grass and trees around him seemed to glimmer and shine in an otherworldly light.

Longtail was beyond confused. He had never been to a place like this before, not even in his dreams. And yet, he wasn’t panicked; though this place was unfamiliar, it was oddly comforting to him at the same time. That, and at least the pain in his legs was gone.

  
  


“Where… what is this?” He thought aloud.

“Hey, old man!” a cheery voice called out to him. Longtail flinched at the sound of it; it was a voice he could never have forgotten in a thousand moons.

The beige tabby lifted his head to the source of the voice. His eyes widened as they met the eyes of a lithe, black and white tom almost as big as Longtail himself.

“Took you awhile! Here, I’ve been saving the biggest, juiciest hare for you! I know they’re your favorite!” The tom said, dropping a plump rabbit at Longtail’s paws and giving a big grin.

Longtail froze, his mouth agape in disbelief. “Great stars…” he said breathlessly, the words nearly getting caught in his throat. “...Swiftpaw?”

The other tom gave a softer smile and nodded, tears threatening to prick at his eyes. “I… I really missed you, Longtail. Welcome home.”

“Swiftpaw… oh Swiftpaw, I missed you so much, too.” Longtail replied, feeling his own eyes getting misty as well. “I’m so relieved to see you again.”

The black and white cat gave another nod, before, perking his ears up excitedly. “Oh! I forgot to tell you! It’s not Swiftpaw anymore.” 

Longtail cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “Oh? What do you mean?” He asked.

“Well, see, when Bluestar got here, she felt really bad about what happened. Y’know, the whole ‘holding me back from being a warrior’ thing. So! To make up for it, she gave me a warrior name for my bravery!”

“Wait… really? She gave you a name?” Longtail questioned, almost shocked. Though he supposed it shouldn’t surprise him; she had clearly wanted to make amends for her mistakes before her death. 

“Yes! She commended my courage and loyalty to the clan.” The tom stood up on his hind legs and raised his arms to the sky for a dramatic reveal. “Thus, she named me Swiftsoul! For my unmatched speed and spirit!” He shouted.

“Swiftsoul…” Longtail echoed. “I like it! It truly fits you perfectly!” The sandy coloured cat then pulled his apprentice into a hug, the latter snuggling his head into his mentor’s neck fur.

“I knew you would!” Swiftsoul cheered.

Longtail felt pride swell up in his chest as he reflected on the name. “I always knew you would make it…” he said softly, the tears now succeeding in forming at the corners of his eyes. Suddenly, then, a wave of guilt washed over him.

“...I’m so sorry.” He whispered.

Swiftsoul pulled his head back to look up at Longtail in puzzlement. “What do you mean?” He asked.

Longtail broke from the hug and pinned his eyes to the ground. “You shouldn’t be here. Not yet. You should still be alive, with your friends and family. You should be down there, among fellow warriors, hunting and fighting with the rest of your clan.”

“Longtail…” 

“But you’re not. You’ve been taken too early. I should’ve tried harder to make you a warrior like you deserved. I should’ve tried harder to convince Bluestar you were ready.”

“ _ Longtail… hey…” _

“But I didn’t. I didn’t try harder. And now you’re dead, and you’ll never get what you deserved,  _ and it’s all my fault-” _

“HEY!!!”

Longtail’s focus was broken by the sudden outburst, pulling him back into the present. Swiftsoul gently placed a comforting paw atop his own, looking at him with a gaze of concern.

“Hey…” the black and white cat repeated. “It  _ wasn’t  _ your fault, ok? It just wasn’t. So don’t you go beating yourself up over something that you couldn’t control.”

But… I could’ve stopped it. I  _ should’ve  _ stopped it! I’m your mentor, for star’s sake! So how can I  _ not  _ feel bad!?” Longtail retorted. “I’ve already regretted it every day!”

Swiftsoul stayed silent for a moment. He could see remorse flash within the other cat’s eyes.

“I know.” The tom replied at last. “I have, too.”

Longtail was taken aback by the guilt that drenched Swiftsoul’s tone.

“The dog pack attack was my idea, after all. When I first died, all I could do was watch over Brightheart. I felt horrible every time I saw her scars. I wanted so desperately to talk to her again, to tell her how sorry I was for everything. And the fact that I couldn’t is what hurt the most.”

“And… what did you do about it?” Longtail questioned.

“I  _ couldn’t  _ do much about it at first, other than watch over her from here and let my guilt consume me. But then…”

“What?”

Swiftsoul looked up and gave a gentle smile at his mentor. “Then… Cinderpelt came along. She’s Brightheart’s sister, and was the one to heal her after the attack. And she…”

Longtail leaned in closer toward Swiftsoul as he continued.

“She told me what working with Brightheart after the accident was like. She told me about how much she misses me, and how proud of me she is. She said that she had never seen a braver cat, and hoped I was happy up in Starclan.”

“And what about your guilt?” the beige tom asked.

“She told me something important. Something I always needed to hear. She told me how horrible she felt after she broke her leg. That if she had listened to Fireheart, it wouldn’t have happened. She kept on reminiscing about a ‘what if?’. It only got worse when she failed to save Silverstream. She started doubting her worth as both a warrior  _ and  _ a medicine cat. Even the slightest mistakes would cause her to beat herself up, convincing herself that everything that’s happened is her fault.”

“So… how did she overcome it?”

“Well…” Swiftsoul replied, “It was hard, at first. Yellowfang passed, and Bluestar was losing herself. Only Fireheart was left to help her. And with the threat of Tigerstar around every corner, she was more stressed than ever. Ironically, though? The same event that caused me to lose my confidence had her regain her own.”

“The dog attack? What do you mean by that?”

“Brightpaw was mortally wounded. She was barely even breathing when she was first found at Snakerocks. No cat had ever seen injuries that bad, let alone treating them. Cinderpelt tried her hardest, but feared the worst. She would almost always be at Brightpaw’s side during her recovery, expecting her to die at any moment. But… she didn’t. Brightpaw lived, despite all odds. She became a warrior with only one eye, and lived a long, happy life with a loving mate and children even after everyone expected her to perish.”

Swiftsoul stood up and padded toward a pool of water, beckoning Longtail to follow. When the two settled near the pool, an image started to fade into the water.

“It was then she realised what being a medicine cat was all about.” Swiftsoul explained as the inside of Thunderclan’s camp faded into view.

Brightheart, or Lostface at the time, sat underneath the great rock as Firestar addressed the clan from on top. Longtail recognized this scene as Brightheart’s renaming, and watched as she received her new name with a teary eye. Cloudtail, Whitestorm, and Cinderpelt all gathered around her, chanting her new name the loudest in the whole clan. He noticed the proud look on Cinderpelt’s face as she embraced her sister.

“You can’t save everyone,” Swiftsoul continued, “but you can always save someone. That’s what it’s about. You see now, Longtail? Even if I died, you still did so much good for the whole clan. You defied  _ Tigerstar  _ to his face, for star’s sake! You proved just how much loyalty means to you, and no one’s ever gonna forget that.”

The black and white tom pushed his face into Longtail’s neck once more. “You owe yourself some forgiveness, Longtail. You’re better than you think you are. But if you keep letting guilt drag you down, you’ll never get to see that for yourself.”

Swiftsoul popped his face from Longtail’s fur once more and gave a smug grin. “Besides, the whole dog pack thing was dumb old Tigerstar’s fault, not yours!” He exclaimed. “Ha ha, he’s the worst!”

Longtail gave a slight chuckle of his own. “Yeah he is!”

He then gave a more sincere look to the tom. “And… you’re right. Beating myself up over something I didn’t even do isn’t gonna help at all. ...Thanks, kid.”

“Good!” Swiftsoul proclaimed. “I won’t stand for my mentor getting himself down!”

He then bounded ahead, looking over his shoulder to Longtail. “Now come on, old man! I told the other apprentices and kits about that time you caught a pigeon out of midair! They wanna see if you can do it again!”

Longtail gave a sort of amusement and picked up the rabbit he was offered.

“Right behind ya, kid!” he called.

He bounded after Swiftsoul and quickly caught up with the lithe cat, the two of them racing each other through the shimmering fields of Starclan.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for not posting in almost a week, lol. I got really busy and couldn't find much time to write.
> 
> Anyway, have some Longtail and Swiftpaw hurt/comfort because I. I just love their dynamic??? And I miss them both so much???
> 
> EDIT: Might rewrite the ending a bit cause IDK something about it just feels off to me


End file.
